45-year-old South African man caught raping neighbor's dog

Protection sought for raped dog
Children and other animals feared to be at risk
A SLAP-on-the-wrist sentence for a dog rapist has left an
Alexandra family feeling there is no choice but to apply for a
protection order to prevent him coming near their
neighbourhood’s pets and children.
Inspector Jaco Pieterse is looking for a new home for
Blackie after she was sexually abused by her young owner’s
neighbour.
Women and Men Against Child Abuse (WMACA) and the
SPCA, who assisted in handling the case, are hoping the
order could apply to the abused animal and others.
On October 15, Fanroi Mochachi, 45, was caught raping
eight-month-old Blackie, a cross-breed female, in the yard
he shared with the dog’s owners in Alexandra.
The child owner and his uncle heard the dog howling, went
to investigate and discovered Mochachi in the act. They
turned him over to the police.
Just days later, the man was taken to the Alexandra
Regional Court, where he pleaded guilty to charges of
bestiality in terms of the Criminal Law (Sexual Offences and
Related Matters) Amendment Act 32 of 2007.
The father-of-six was put to shame by magistrate Syta
Pretorius, who insisted that the offence to which he had
admitted was “serious, unnatural and barbaric”.
“Worse still is that you are married and a role model to your
six children, and upsetting is that you will be expected to
engage sexually with your wife,” she told Mochachi.
She concluded by saying that Mochachi’s actions and those
of others like him – who have uncontrollable desires to
sleep with any female, child or animal – were truly shameful
and must be stopped.
However, in a surprisingly lenient decision, Pretorius
sentenced Mochachi to a five-year prison sentence, wholly
suspended for the next five years.
Effectively, this meant Mochachi was free to return to his
home, which has gravely unsettled the family who own
Blackie.
According to Sandton SPCA senior investigator Jaco
Pieterse, the family had initially wanted to give Blackie to
relatives in KwaZulu-Natal to prevent any possible future
abuse, but his team had managed to convince them to
hand her over to the Sandton branch for re-homing.
“The dog was taken to an independent veterinarian for
examination and is now in the safe care of the Sandton
SPCA,” said Pieterse.
WMACA had been brought in to counsel the child owner of
the dog, and both the NGO and SPCA have said that while
they have welcomed Mochachi’s conviction, they are
disturbed by the light sentence.
In a joint statement, WMACA and the SPCA said they were
wary of Mochachi “roaming the streets unchecked”.
“The Sandton SPCA and WMACA would like to see much
harsher sentences regarding the sexual violation of animals
who, like children, are completely helpless to stop such
violent attacks on them.
“WMACA’s Kidz Clinic Alexandra has seen to the intake for
the family of the dog to assist them in coping with the
trauma of the recent events,” the statement read.
WMACA’s director, Miranda Jordan, plans to assist
Blackie’s owners in securing a protection order for the
family and the other neighbourhood animals, with a focus
on using Blackie as the basis at court for why it should be
granted.
“Sexual predators, regardless of the type of crime, should
be monitored. It is a fact that bestiality is a stepping stone
to other sex crimes where the victims could be other
vulnerable beings, like children or young women,” said
Jordan.
According to WMACA, the uncle of the dog’s owner and
another close community member will be providing
affidavits to join with the protection-order application. This
would seek to prevent the offender returning to the property
where the incident occurred.
“There are young children and other animals on the same
premises, and the residents believe that Mr Mochachi poses
a risk,” said Jordan.
She hoped the order could potentially apply to the animals
in the area, especially after an increase in the number of
cases of animal sexual abuse noted by WMACA’s clinic in
Alexandra.
The Sandton SPCA has asked readers of The Star to open
their hearts and help find Blackie a new home.
“The Sandton SPCA is now seeking a good home for
Blackie where she will not be subjected to such a barbaric
act of cruelty. Please contact the Sandton SPCA on 011 444
7730 for more information on the adoption process of
Blackie,” said Pieterse.